Tool for compressing piston rings



April 27 1926. 1,582,316 R. R. TEEToR TOOL FOR COIPRESSING PISTON RINGS Filed April 12, 1924 Hagerstown, in

. paratus or Patented Apr. 27,1926.

vUNITED* STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH n. TEMOR, or HAenRsTowN,INDIANA,AssIGNon To INDIANA PIs'roN RING j coMPANY,.oF nAenmeTovvN,v INDIANA, vA coRPoRATIoN'oF INDIANA.

I Toorinon coMrnEssINe rIsToN RINGS.

.Application filed April 1,2, 1924. Serial No. 706,045.

Be it known that I, RALrHR. Tnnroma s citizen of the .United States, residing at Lthe county of yVayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new Vand useful Improvements in Tools for Compressing Piston Rings,l of which the following is a specification. 1

My invention relates to apparatus for compressing objects and is of particular service for effecting the closure of the gaps, which are formed in piston rings after they have been cast, in order to prepare themfor the -finishing of their exterior circumferential surfaces. I have shown and described an aptool ofthis class in my U. S. 1,454,350. The principal objects cheapen and Patent No. of my invention are to improve, simplify the construction of the apparatus or tool and more accurately align or center the piston rings, as will be Ahereinafter more fully pointed out.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a tool embodying my invention, and shows the compressor and the arbor and pistonrings in place therein, some 4of the rings being shown in section, and Fig.V 2 isa sectional view 'taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.v

The device for carrying the piston rings comprises an arbor 3,having its ends suitably Vformed for mounting between the head and tail stocks of a lathe, and circular end plates or heads 4and, 5 mounted on the arbor. The arbor has va head at one end and a nut 7 in threaded connection with the other end. The pistonfrings, after being split or parted by removal of the proper are placed uponr the arbor between theend plates 4 and 5 land the nut 7 is screwed upon the threaded end of the arbor to move the end plate 4 toward the end plate 5 just sufficiently to clamp the rings in position between the plates, but not so tightly as to prevent the rings from having imparted to them a partial ringclosing adjustment in a centering shell or cylinder such as shown and described in my aforesaid patent. As there de- Jcrihed, the shell comprises two half-cylindrical parts hinged together, and when the sec-` tions are closed around the rings on the arbor the ringsare contracted to just partially close the gaps at the joints. The action of the centering shell is such that the rings surface. ing shell, the nut 7 ent invention.

Thus the rubber tube outer'peripheries of the rings are of substantially Ythe same diameter so that they form, in effect, one continuous smooth cylindrical lhile the rings are in the centerj is tightened to firmly clamp the rings between the plates 4 and 5, the rings being thus retainedin their partially contracted condition when the shell is removed. While thus are slippedinto the held in assembly they compressor of my pres As illustrated in the drawings, the compresser comprises an outer cylindrical casing or shell 8, preferably formed of'metal,a single-walled flexible'tube 9, preferably of rubber, and'end rings or flanges 10, secured to the ends of the casing S by means of screws 11. The rings 10 and the ends of the casing 8 are provided with contacting annular shoulders 12 which assist in properly centering the rings 10 on the casing 8. The ends of the rubber tube 9 are turned outwardly to form radial flanges clamped between the rings 10 and the ends of the Vcylinder 8, as illustrated in Fig. 1. 9 and casing'S afford an air-tight compression or expansion chamber between them.` An air hose or pipe 15 is connected to a nipple 16, preferably integral with the casing 8, and the pipe 15 is connected to a pressure tankv or air pump (not shown),while the pipe 15 is provided with a two-way valve (not shown) to place the expansion chamber of the` compressor in communication with the tank or pump for inflation of the tube 9 or in communication with the atmosphere for defiation of the tube 9, as, for example, `fully shown and described in my aforesaid patent. The arbor 3 and are slipped into t-he compressor while the tube 9 is deflated. It will be observed that each plate 4 and 5 has two circular portions of different diameters', and that the larger diametered portions fit closely wit-hin the rings 10 for the purposeof aiding in properly ccnteringthe arbor and the rings in the compressor. The rings are clamped between the portions of the plates 4 and 5 of smaller diameter so that the plates do not interfere with the proper closing action'of the end rings in contact therewith when the tube 9 is inflated.

lhen the piston rings are in place in the are properly centered on the arborB and the 14 which are firmly the opposite end of the centered rings thereon compressor, air is admitted to the chamber under more than sutlicient pressure to completely close all of the gaps at the joints of the rings, which were only partially closed to yarying extents in the centering shell. The nut 7 is then loosened to permit the rubber' tube 9 to close all of the piston ring gaps, by the pressure radially and inwardly exerted upon the rings in sutiicient degree to secure this result. Fig. l illustrates the apparatus after the tube has been intlated. The rings, whosev Gaps are now completely closed., are of dii'ierent diameters and are removed trom the compressor a'ter the nut 7 has been tightened to tirmly clamp the rings in their closed condition between the end plates l and 5 and the tube 9 has been deflated. rEhe arbor and rings are then placed in ka lathe and the rings are turned to a uniform external diameter, whereatter the rings are demounted from their supporting arbor.

lt will be observed that in my present invention l use a one-walled flexible tube 9 and clamp its out-turned ends betwe n the ends of the rigid easing 8 and the end rings l0 secured thereto. rlhe expansion chamber or space between the casing 8 and the flexible tube is very narrow. The air pipe l5 is directly connected to the nipple 16, rather than to a stem attached to a two-walled tube as in my previous construction. It will now be obvious that my present invention ati'ords an improved, cheap and simple construction.

l claim:

l. In a tool for exerting` closing pressure upon piston rings, the combination with mounting means for clamping the piston rings in assembly, and a rigid cylinder, a iexible single-walled tube within the cylinder forming an expansion chamber with the cylinder', and means for clamping the ends ol' the tube to the ends ot the cylinder.

2. lua tool tor exerting closing pressure lmounting comprising diameter, and

upon piston rings, the combination with mounting means tor clamping the piston rings in assembly, and a cylinder, a liexible single-walled tube within the cylinder torming an air chamber with the cylinder, and detachable end rings 'tor clamping the ends of the tube to the ends of the cylinder.

3. In a tool for exerting closing pressure upon piston rings, the combination with mounting means tor clamping the piston rings in assembly, and a cylinder having an air opening, an air pipe directly attached to said opening, a flexible single-walled tube within the cylinderv 'forming an air chamber with the cylinder, and means for clamping t-he ends ot the tube to the cylinder.

il. In a tool for exerting closing pressure upon piston rings, the combination with a two end plates, each haring two portions of different diameters, tor clamping the piston rings between the portions ot smaller diameter, a rigid cylinder, a liexible single-walled tube forming an air chamber with the cylinder, and end rings for clamping the ends o'l' the tube to the ends o't the cylinder and having an interior diameter ot substantially the same size as the larger diametered portions ot the end plates in order to ad in centering the arbor andV rings in the cylinder.

5. In a tool tor exerting closing pressure upon piston rings, the combination with a mounting 'tor piston rings comprising an arbor carrying end plates each having portions oif different diameters, the rings being clamped between the portions oiE smaller a cylinder provided with a flexible tube therein altording .an expansion chamber and said cylinder having inwardly directed :[ianges at its ends haring an interior diameter substantially the same as the diameter ot the larger diametered portions or saidend plates to aid invcentering the rings and arbor in the cylinder.

RALPH R. ,'IEETOR. 

